In Acts 18:9-10 Paul has some curious words of encouragement given to him by Jesus. “Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.’” Why did he need to hear them?
     It’s hard for me to imagine Paul, that courageous and outspoken apostle, being scared of anything or of shutting up anytime when something needed saying. Yet, at least once in his life, in this particular situation, Paul was afraid to tell others about Jesus – he was considering keeping quiet so as to not stir up trouble. And he needed to be encouraged, to be emboldened, to have his courage revived.
     On the other hand, I can sympathize with how he felt, having felt those same feelings myself, although with a lot less reason. All of us have felt them at one time or another. Yet, these words restored Paul’s courage. And if we let them, these same words can restore our courage.
     For starters, did you notice how in this particular case the opposite of “be afraid” is “speak”? It’s true in our case as well. We will either be afraid or we will speak. It’s often just that simple.
     Next, what two reasons did Jesus give for Paul to speak and not be afraid? The first is “for I am with you” (remember Moses back in Exodus chapters 3 & 4?) and the second is “for I have many people in this city.” Those are our reasons, too, aren’t they?
     Think about that the next time you see an solid opportunity to talk with someone about Jesus, but hold back in fear instead – think of His presence with you and of the many people He has in this city waiting to hear you tell the good news.